Carlos EscasainCommercial Systems & Process Architect
ENES

Process case / 02 · Approval model & revision rules

Designing a quote-to-order process with clear ownership

A fictional B2B case: quote versions, approval thresholds, revision rules and the CRM/ERP boundary—designed so an approval means the same thing on the order as it did on the quote.

Fictional scenario9 min readUpdated 28 Sep 2026
Fictional scenario

Independently created. Contains no employer or client implementation detail, internal names or figures.

01The outcome

Every order traces to one accepted quote version, whose approval covers exactly the values it contains—and ERP feasibility is known before the customer is asked to accept.

The reality

Quotes change after approval, and the ERP rejects orders the customer has already accepted.

Key dimension

Approval model & revision rules

Key decision

Bind each approval to a quote version and its values, and move ERP feasibility checks before approval instead of after acceptance.

ContextA B2B commercial organization quotes in the CRM, approves deviations from pricing policy and creates orders in the ERP. Quotes, approvals and orders drift apart: approved quotes are edited, orders are keyed from email attachments, and the ERP rejects orders the customer has already accepted.

Disciplines involvedProcess ArchitectureSystems & CRM ArchitectureAutomation
Systems and partiesCRMPricingERPIntegration

02The reality · current state

What actually happens today.

  • Several quote versions circulate, and nobody knows which one the customer accepted
  • Approval thresholds are unclear, so either everything or nothing goes to approval
  • Sales can change a quote after approval without anyone noticing
  • The ERP validates the order only after the customer has said yes
  • Rejected quotes come back by email, without a reason or a version
  • Orders are not tied to a quote status, so orders appear without an accepted quote

03Target process

7 stages, 4 roles, 2 systems.

Each stage sits in the lane that owns it and shows what happens in each system at that moment. Select a stage for its anatomy; read the model through controls, exceptions or automation fit.

Operating model / swimlaneQuote to orderScoped buying intent → Order confirmed to the customer

Stages, owners, system touches and handoffs.

SalesOpportunity & quote
Commercial mgmtPricing policy & approval
CustomerAcceptance or change request
Order managementFeasibility, entry & correction
CRMSystem of action — quote & approval
ERPSystem of record — order
Lane / stage
Data authority
Sales → Order management
Commercial terms: CRM → ERP
OpportunityQuote versionValidation resultPre-check (read only)Approval recordAcceptance on versionOrder statusConfirmation visibleOrder confirmation
Human actionSystem actionDecisionApproval gateLifecycle stateSystem touchHandoffAuthority transferException return
Stage anatomy · 03 / 07

Commercial validation

DecisionAutomate
  1. Trigger

    Quote submitted

  2. Decision

    Can this quote become a valid order—customer, products, terms and credit?

  3. Owner

    Order management

  4. System action

    Integration runs an ERP pre-check: orderable products, allowed payment terms, credit status

  5. Data state

    Quote v1 · Validated

  6. Next stage

    04 Commercial approval

Information required
  • Customer credit status
  • Product orderability
  • Payment terms allowed for the legal entity
Controls
  • ERP rules are checked before approval—not after the customer accepts
  • The pre-check writes nothing to the ERP
Exceptions
  • Pre-check fails — Returns to draft with the failing rule namedDetected: ERP pre-check · Owner: Sales · Returns to 02 Quote draft
Automation suitability

Automate. A read-only check against ERP rules is deterministic and reversible.

    1. Trigger

      Quote submitted

    2. Decision

      Can this quote become a valid order—customer, products, terms and credit?

    3. Owner

      Order management

    4. System action

      Integration runs an ERP pre-check: orderable products, allowed payment terms, credit status

    5. Data state

      Quote v1 · Validated

    6. Next stage

      04 Commercial approval

    Information required
    • Customer credit status
    • Product orderability
    • Payment terms allowed for the legal entity
    Controls
    • ERP rules are checked before approval—not after the customer accepts
    • The pre-check writes nothing to the ERP
    Exceptions
    • Pre-check fails — Returns to draft with the failing rule namedDetected: ERP pre-check · Owner: Sales · Returns to 02 Quote draft
    Automation suitability

    Automate. A read-only check against ERP rules is deterministic and reversible.

04Key dimension · Approval model & revision rules

Revision rules: what a change does to an approval

The approval is bound to a version and its values. A change after approval is classified by a published rule—not debated in the approver’s inbox.

Change after approvalWhy it mattersWhat happens
Quantity increase within the approved price and margin bandThe decision still holdsApproval stands
Contact, reference or document correctionsNo commercial effectApproval stands
Delivery date or ship-to addressERP feasibility may changeRe-validate
Price, discount or margin outside the approved bandThe decision itself changesRe-approve
Payment termsCredit exposure changes—a Finance decisionRe-approve
A new product lineNew pricing and new feasibilityRe-approve

Every change creates a new version. Whether that version needs a new decision is a published rule—not the salesperson’s judgement.

05Ownership & decision rights

One accountable role per decision.

Decision rights for Quote to order
DecisionSalesSales mgmtCommercial opsOrder mgmtFinancePlatform ops
02Propose price, conditions and termsA AccountableNot involvedC ConsultedI InformedNot involvedNot involved
04Approve a deviation from pricing policyR ResponsibleA AccountableC ConsultedNot involvedI InformedNot involved
04Approve non-standard payment termsR ResponsibleC ConsultedNot involvedNot involvedA AccountableNot involved
05Decide whether a change needs re-approvalR ResponsibleC ConsultedA AccountableNot involvedNot involvedNot involved
06Correct an order the ERP rejectedC ConsultedNot involvedNot involvedA AccountableNot involvedR Responsible
04Set approval thresholdsNot involvedA AccountableR ResponsibleNot involvedC ConsultedNot involved
  1. 02Propose price, conditions and terms
    AAccountable
    Sales
    CConsulted
    Commercial ops
    IInformed
    Order mgmt
  2. 04Approve a deviation from pricing policy
    AAccountable
    Sales mgmt
    RResponsible
    Sales
    CConsulted
    Commercial ops
    IInformed
    Finance
  3. 04Approve non-standard payment terms
    AAccountable
    Finance
    RResponsible
    Sales
    CConsulted
    Sales mgmt
  4. 05Decide whether a change needs re-approval
    AAccountable
    Commercial ops
    RResponsible
    Sales
    CConsulted
    Sales mgmt
  5. 06Correct an order the ERP rejected
    AAccountable
    Order mgmt
    RResponsible
    Platform ops
    CConsulted
    Sales
  6. 04Set approval thresholds
    AAccountable
    Sales mgmt
    RResponsible
    Commercial ops
    CConsulted
    Finance
AAccountableRResponsibleCConsultedIInformedExactly one A per decision

06Exceptions & failure paths

10 exception paths, each with an owner and a destination.

01 OpportunityBilling entity unknown

Quote creation waits until the billing entity is identified

Detected by
Quote creation check
Owner
Sales
Route
Blocked until the account is resolved
02 Quote draftPrice not in the price book

Special price requested before the quote can be submitted

Detected by
Pricing rule
Owner
Commercial management
Route
Special-price request
03 Commercial validationPre-check fails

Returns to draft with the failing rule named

Detected by
ERP pre-check
Owner
Sales
Route
Returns to 02 Quote draft
04 Commercial approvalRejected

A new draft version with the reason code

Detected by
Approver
Owner
Sales
Route
Returns to 02 Quote draft
04 Commercial approvalNo decision within SLA

Escalates to the next approver

Detected by
SLA clock
Owner
Commercial management
Route
Escalates one level
05 Customer confirmationCustomer asks for changes

A new version; the revision rules decide whether it needs re-approval

Detected by
Sales
Owner
Sales
Route
Returns to 02 Quote draft
05 Customer confirmationQuote expired

Re-validated against current prices and ERP rules

Detected by
Validity date
Owner
Sales
Route
Returns to 03 Commercial validation
06 ERP order creationERP rejects the order

Correction queue with the ERP reason; Sales informed; the quote stays accepted

Detected by
Integration outcome
Owner
Order management
Route
Correction queue with a named owner
06 ERP order creationTimeout — outcome unknown

Reconciled by key; never re-submitted blindly

Detected by
Integration monitor
Owner
Platform operations
Route
Reconcile by key before any retry
07 Order confirmationConfirmed values differ from the quote

Variance reviewed before the confirmation is sent

Detected by
Price comparison
Owner
Commercial management
Route
Price-variance review

07Process ↔ system

The process question first. Then the system question has an answer.

StageAccountableSystem actionData stateAutomation
01OpportunitySalesCRM holds the opportunity; quotes are created from it, never standaloneOpportunity · ScopedAssist — person confirms
02Quote draftSalesCRM prices from the price book and flags every deviation from policyQuote v1 · DraftAssist — person confirms
03Commercial validationOrder managementIntegration runs an ERP pre-check: orderable products, allowed payment terms, credit statusQuote v1 · ValidatedAutomate
04Commercial approvalSales manager — thresholds by deviation typeCRM routes by what deviates—price, margin, conditions or terms—and records the approved valuesQuote v1 · ApprovedAssist — person confirms
05Customer confirmationSales (relationship) · Customer (acceptance)CRM records the acceptance against the exact approved versionQuote v1 · AcceptedKeep human
Data authority transfers — Commercial terms: CRM → ERP
06ERP order creationOrder management (accountable) · Platform operations (delivery)Integration creates the sales order from the accepted version, with an idempotency keyOrder · CreatedAutomate
07Order confirmationOrder managementERP schedules and confirms; the confirmation and order status return to the CRMOrder · ConfirmedAssist — person confirms
Process question: P1What exactly is being approved—price, margin, conditions or terms?
System question: S1Which quote fields lock on approval, and which stay editable?
Process question: P2Does a change after approval invalidate it?
System question: S2How does a new version carry—or drop—the previous approval?
Process question: P3When may an order be created?
System question: S3Which event creates it, and what guarantees one order per accepted version?
Process question: P4Who owns correcting an order the ERP rejected?
System question: S4Where does the rejection land, with which reason, visible to whom?

08The second layer

Questions that change the design.

The approval

  1. What exactly is being approved—price, margin, commercial conditions or payment terms?
  2. Who owns each of those decisions?
  3. Which quotes can be approved by rule and audited?

After approval

  1. Can the quote change after approval?
  2. Does a modification invalidate the approval—always, or by rule?
  3. How long does an approval stay valid?

Order creation

  1. What happens when the ERP rejects the order?
  2. Who owns the correction—and does the customer hear about it?
  3. Can one accepted quote produce two orders?

09Measurement

Process health, defined by owner and action.

No values are shown: in a design, the definition is the deliverable.

LaggingStages 02 → 07
Quote-to-order cycle time

First submission to order confirmation — median and 90th percentile

Owner
Commercial management
Triggers
Locate the waiting: approval, customer or ERP
LeadingStage 04
Approval ageing

Submission to decision, by deviation type

Owner
Sales management
Triggers
Adjust thresholds or delegation where ageing concentrates
ControlStages 04 → 05
Post-approval revision rate

Approved quotes changed before order, by changed field

Owner
Commercial operations
Triggers
Tighten the revision rules, or fix what Sales could not know at draft
ControlStage 06
ERP rejection rate

Orders rejected by the ERP after acceptance, by reason

Owner
Order management
Triggers
Move the failing rule into the pre-check
ControlStage 07
Price variance at confirmation

Confirmed order values that differ from the approved quote

Owner
Commercial management
Triggers
Find where prices change outside the approved version

10What the work produces

Outputs and connections.

  1. 01Quote lifecycle & state model
  2. 02Approval model by deviation type
  3. 03Revision rules
  4. 04CRM/ERP boundary & pre-check
  5. 05Order correction path
  6. 06Quote-to-order KPIs
Disciplines involvedProcess ArchitectureSystems & CRM ArchitectureAutomation